Robin Martin outlines countywide edible‑food recovery work and SB 1383 compliance for Sunnyvale

Robin Martin, executive director of the food recovery initiative at Joint Venture Silicon Valley, presented to the Sunnyvale Sustainability Commission on April 20 about local efforts to recover edible food and comply with California's SB 1383. Martin framed surplus edible food as both a climate problem and a social opportunity and urged parallel focus on prevention and timely redistribution.

"One‑third of food produced on Earth is never eaten," Martin told the commission, citing national research and Refed data used in local planning. She said prevention is the highest priority, followed by donation, and then upcycling or composting for inedible material. Martin described countywide work that combines research, capacity assessments required by the state, ordinance language for cities, and technical assistance to…